International Latin Ballroom

Beginning -Lucy Ra started her dancing at the Power House of Dance with hip hop instructor Gino Johnson. She continued her dance studies and competed in International Latin Ballroom. At Studio 22 she trained under Sergey Korshunov, Michelle Hafle, Arkadiy Polezhaev, Natalja Panina, Veronika Chernyavska, Ryan Lewis, and Natalia Fridmanovich. Some other dancers Lucy trained under are Jairelbhi Furlong, George Furlong, Vibeke Toft, Allan Tornsberg, and Collins James.

Ballroom explained

When I first started dancing International Latin Ballroom I had no idea about some major differences in styles and levels and so on. If you are new you may find yourself asking the same questions I was:

What is the difference in styles?

What is the difference in levels?

How do I know where to begin?

Don't worry. The best way to learn the differences is to read up on the categorization and watch each style/level of dance to determine what you like and want to pursue.

Let's begin!

Ballroom dancing is divided into International and American styles. While these two divisions share some of the same dances, they are danced differently and have some dances that are unique to the style. Think Argentine tango vs. Tango - same dance, but danced very differently. Different music and everything. But same dance!

Confusing, right?

You will need to first choose between American and International style as it is best to concentrate on one style instead of both. It can be very confusing to mix both styles, especially in the beginning. Watch International vs. American dances on YouTube or at a dance studio and see what you like. In dance world dancers specialize in either one or the other, few specialize in both.

In social dancing it can be rather difficult for two people of different styles to dance the same dance (the one that's shared among both styles, such as Rumba). Normally it is a bit easier for someone who knows International to dance with someone who knows American style, but the differences will catch up to you and you won't be able to go beyond the basic moves.

With that said, we will concentrate on International Ballroom for the rest of the article as I have very little exposure to American style.

International Ballroom consists of 10 dances - 5 Latin and 5 Standard. American Ballroom has its own dances, but some are shares as mentioned before.

5 International Standard Ballroom (also known as Standard) dances are:

Waltz

Tango

Foxtrot

Quickstep

Viennese Waltz

Again, I recommend choosing between Latin and Standard. They are quite different.In the real dance world dancers usually concentrate on either Latin or Standard. Some know all 10 dances but not many. Even fewer compete in both styles.It is good to know both thought. I highly recommend taking some Standard dances if you are doing Latin only, just because it's very useful to know Waltz for social situations.

Up next let's talk about divisions you will see at the competitions. After reading this next section you will be able to tell someone what level you are at and which division you would most likely compete in.

Divisions in International Ballroom

Just like in any competitive sport or field there are divisions to distinguish among the competitors and their levels of proficiency. International Ballroom is no exception to that. We need divisions and classifications to make sure the competitions are fair and that you are competing with couples of similar level to you instead of, say, someone brand new competing alongside a world champion. You wouldn't want to be in such a competition, now would you? :)

The Amateur division in International Ballroom is for people who love to dance and want to compete but have another profession and usually have a full time job in a different field. Think of Amateur as a word for Hobby.

The Professional division in International Ballroom is for people who dedicate their entire lives and bodies to dance. They usually don't have another job besides teaching dance and spend the rest of the time getting ready for competitions, traveling to competitions, performing, and competing.

Within the above divisions there are categories to note the proficiency. They are listed below for each division.

Amateur division proficiency levels

E - New comer

D - Bronze

C - Silver

B - Gold

A1 - Novice Competitor

A2 - Pre Championship

S - Championship

M - International

W - World Class (Top 48)

W - World Champion (Top 10)

Professional division proficiency levels

Newbie

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Staff

Senior Staff

Rising Star

Open

Age categoriesBesides the above categories there's another element that plays a big role - age. Each competitor competes in their age group. There are several age groups. The first one is Adult and is for anybody between the age of 19 and 35. The second group is Senior and is for anybody between the age of 35 and 50. Lastly there's a Grand Senior division for those who are 50 and above.

There are rules that dictate what is allowed in terms of mixing divisions and proficiency levels for competitive couples.For example, some competitions are called Pro-Am. That means it's a Professional division dancer dancing with an Amateur division dancer. Usually those are teacher - student couples. The rest of the competitions are Amateur or Professional. Then they will split each competition further into age categories - Adult, Senior, Grand Senior. Then the competitions split even further based on proficiency - Bronze, Silver, Gold, and so on.

Now you will be able to know what's going on when you watch or go to an International Ballroom competition or decide to enter one.